Fish and Boat Commission drop charges against farmer

Because of an out-of-court settlement, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has dropped charges against a local farmer accused of polluting three sportsmen's ponds.

Sources said 55-year-old Anthony Klejka of Deans Road reached a financial settlement with the Laurel Ridge Sportsmen's Association. Runoff from Klejka's farm allegedly killed more than 6,000 of the association's fish over three weeks beginning March 22, 2003.

"The settlement was that Mr. Klejka agreed to pay for the loss of fish that the club sustained - whatever that dollar amount was - and he agreed to pay the fish commission a minimal fine for the pollution," said Tom Qualters, assistant regional law enforcement supervisor for the Fish and Boat Commission.

Terms of the settlement were not immediately available. Qualters said he did not know the exact dollar amount involved, while a member of the association and Klejka's attorney declined to reveal those specifics.

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"The bottom line is the sportsmen's association, Mr. Klejka and the fish and boat commission all cooperated in an effort to get this matter amicably resolved after all the facts were obtained," Nathaniel Barbera, Klejka's attorney, said.

The pollution problem was originally traced to a faulty silage runoff treatment system. An investigation revealed that a broken pipe was to blame, siphoning liquid manure from a storage area into a stream that feeds the association's ponds, sources said. The pipe supposedly broke because of cold weather.

The pollution killed thousands of fish, including trout, bass, carp and catfish. Over time, the ponds cleaned themselves, Qualters said.

"It's not a chronic problem like you would have with acid mine drainage," he said.

The ponds have been restocked with fish and are back in working order, according to James Schrock, the association's vice president. Schrock said members will continue to monitor the waterways looking for any signs of pollution.

"As of right now, things are going pretty well," he said.

As a result of the settlement, the fish and boat commission withdrew a third-degree misdemeanor charge called "pollution of waterways." The commission also assessed Klejka a $250 fine.

In December, the Somerset Conservation District approved a nutrient management plan for Klejka's Somerset Township farm. The state Department of Environmental Protection is requiring him to develop a separate plan to deal with potential sources of pollution on his property, according to spokeswoman Helen Humphreys Short.